J. Luke Cochran Hits the Wrong Note Well

'People Like You, People Like Me' is jammy college hippie folk rock

Matthew Everett

3:14 PM, Jul 29, 2009

J. Luke Cochran, People Like You, People Like Me

J. Luke Cochran's new CD is well produced, professionally performed, and a perfectly fine example of what it is. Unfortunately, what it is is jammy college hippie folk rock reeking of patchouli and kind bud: organ fills, synth horns, extended guitar solos, and staccato rhythms and wah guitar signifying, if not exactly demonstrating, funk. There's a capable songwriter underneath the frat party excess—the Beatles-esque harmonies of "Won't Be Lonely" and the epic coda to "Open Your Eyes" show that—but Cochran will need to shed his happy hour patio persona to take full advantage.